Cranberry Wild Rice Salad with Candied Pecans and Bitter Greens
Recipe
Cranberry Wild Rice Salad with Candied Pecans and Bitter Greens
Serves 10
Ingredients
For the Salad
1 cup Wild Rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
2 radicchio heads cored and cut into Ribbons
1 bunch of Lacinato Kale cut into Ribbons
1/3 cup chopped Parsley
1/3 cup chopped Mint
1/3 cup dried cranberries
For Candied Pecans
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups pecan (wholes or halves are fine)
For the Cranberry Salad Dressing
14-oz. can whole-berry cranberry sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2/3 cup Olive Oil
1 clove garlic micro planed
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Wild Rice
Place the wild rice in a saucepan or pot. Add 1 tsp salt to the rice and cover with 4 cups water.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let the rice simmer. Cook the rice for about 40 minutes.
Take rice off the stove drain in a colander, and cool.
Instructions For the Candied Pecans
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce, about 1 minute.
Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook, stirring the entire time, until the pecans look candied and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and become shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn. Pour nuts out onto a Parchment or Silicone Baking mat until they cool. Break up into bite-size pieces for the salad.
Instructions For the Salad Dressing
Place all ingredients in a quart mason jar and shake to combine.
Instructions For the Salad Assembly
Add Rice, Greens, Herbs, and Cranberries to a large bowl and toss
Dress with the cranberry dressing toss and taste, and add salt and pepper as needed
Top the serving bowl with Candied Pecans or individual plates if composing salads